Forecast

Library and Wakeman launch Cookbook Club

Chef Katie Brown will lead the first Library sponsored Cookbook Club demonstration session at Wakeman Town Farm next Wednesday.

Chef Katie Brown will lead the first Library sponsored Cookbook Club demonstration session at Wakeman Town Farm next Wednesday.

Photo: Contributed Photo

Library and Wakeman launch Cookbook Club

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

WESTPORT — The library is looking to hook on to the cooking craze in town with a new club.

“People love to cook, they love to see how others cook, and cooking shows are huge, so it just seemed like a good thing to try,” Jennifer Keller, Programming Director at the Westport Library, said of the Library’s new Cookbook Club.

The club’s first event will be held at Wakeman Town Farm’s new demonstration kitchen on Wednesday, Dec. 6 with guest, celebrity chef Katie Brown.

“I have the philosophy that I’m not necessarily an expert but the friend that likes to try many new things,” said Brown, who’s has authored five cookbooks and hosted cooking shows for Lifetime, A&E, and Style networks.

“I thinkBrown, who lives in Ridgefield, said she spends a good amount of time in Westport and is excited to host the event in Westport because she loves to participate in local events and get out and talk with fellow home cooks.

she’s a great choice,” Westport resident and Wakeman programming organizer Christy Colasurdo said of Brown. “She has a very approachable demeanor and a warm and inviting way.”

At demonstration events, Brown said she tries to facilitate the group in making two or three recipes, usually a main course, side, and dessert, and said she’ll likely choose recipes related to the current holiday season to present at the Wakeman event.

“I learn as much as they do, probably more, from their questions and answers and what they do and don’t like about what I do,” Brown said.

Brown said she likes to infuse her cooking demonstrations with storytelling and a larger message.

“Each little recipe has some kind of story that relates to something I’ve learned through my travels as this kind of lifestyle guru,” Brown said.

Colasurdo said she’s thrilled to partner with the library to share Wakeman’s new space and host an event which she said fits well with Wakeman’s mission to help people, “bring things back to a simpler time,” through education events related to homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and canning.

“We basically like to teach things that are very simple to make and which can be replicated at home,” Colasurdo said.

Keller added that participants are encouraged to bring a cookbook from home to swap with others at the event.

Now Playing:

The event is free and open to the public and will take place on Dec. 6 from 7 to 8 p.m. In February, local chef and “Fairfield County Foodie” blogger Yamini Lal, will host the second event in the Cookbook Club series.